Opposites
by HarvestMoonForever101
Summary: Its been years since Ash, Brock, and Dawn split up. Dawn hasn't traveled for 2 years, because of a certain plum-haired jerk. Her mother, and May convince her to travel once more. But what happens if she meets the certain plum-haired jerk once more? PaulxDawn, slight BarryxDawn & KennyxZoey
1. Chapter 1

Its been years since Ash, Brock, and Dawn split up. Dawn hasn't traveled for 2 years, because of a certain plum-haired jerk. Her mother, and May convince her to travel once more. But what happens if she meets the certain plum-haired jerk once more? **PaulxDawn, slight BarryxDawn &amp; KennyxZoey**

**Opposites**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Pokemon, or any of its characters. All credit for the show, and its characters go to Satoshi Tajiri. = Best person ever!

**Chapter 1**

**Beginning of A New Adventure**

"Dawn, time for breakfast!" Johanna yells to her daughter who is sleeping upstairs. The 15 year old blunette groans, and covers her head with her pillow. Johanna starts to go up the stairs, after not getting a reply from her daughter. She opens the door, and walks in Dawn's room. "Dawn..." Johanna starts, as she walks closer to her half-asleep daughter. She leans down to Dawn's head, which is still under her pillow. "Its pancakes." She whispers, and Dawn sits up slowly, turning to her mother as she does.

"What kind of pancakes?" She asks, and Johanna smiles.

"Blueberry." Johanna tells her, and Dawn sighs, throwing her legs over the side of the bed. "See you downstairs, Dawn." She says, and leaves the room.

**Dawn's POV**

I watch my mother leave the room, closing the door as she does. I yawn, and look around my room. It is very...pink. Almost everything in my room is pink, which makes it seem pretty dull. May has said before, that my room makes her feel like she is gonna turn pink herself. May is my best friend, well aside from Zoey. We all met while competeing in Contests, I met Zoey first. Right from the start I knew we were gonna be great friends. And as for May, we met when she decided to come to Sinnoh, to compete in the Wallace Cup. It was a really close battle between me and May, but I won in the end. Now that I think about it, I haven't seen either of them in a while. I wonder how they are doin-

"Dawn hurry up, or the pancakes will get cold!" Mom yells, successfully interuping my trip down memory lane.

"Okay, I'll be right down!" I yell, and rush to the shower. I get out of the bathroom, and grab a outfit from my closet. I get dressed, and hurry downstairs. I sit down at the table, and my mother smiles at me.

"What took you so long? And is this a new style your trying out?" She asks, gesturing to my clothes. I look down, and gasp. I'm wearing a bright pink tanktop, a green skirt, and blue sneakers. I blush a light shade of pink, and eat my pancakes.

"I wasn't really paying much attention to what clothes I grabbed. I can always change, so no need to worry." I admit, smiling sheepishly. Mom chuckles, and shakes her head.

"Thats when I worry the most." She smiles, and we finish our breakfast silently. After I finish, I am about to go upstairs and change. But then someone knocks on the door. "Dawn, can you answer that?" Mom asks, and I sigh.

"Sure!" I yell, and rush to the door. I open it, and gasp. It was May! She was wearing her orange and green outfit, that she wore when I saw her in Sinnoh. She smirked at me, after looking at my outfit.

"Trying to make a fashion statement Dawn?" She giggles, causing me to blush a little.

"No, not really. Why don't you come inside, and sit down. I'll go get changed really quick." I say, and she nods.

**Narrator's POV**

May sits down, looking around the living room. Johanna walks into the room, and smiles at May.

"Hi May, what brings you here?" She asks, and May smiles.

"I was just wondering if Dawn was gonna start traveling again soon." May tells Johanna, who sighs.

"She has been home for such a long time. I'm begining to worry about her." She admits, and May smiles.

"I'm sure everything is fine." She comforts Johanna, who smiles. Dawn walks down the stairs, and is wearing matching clothes this time. She is wearing the same pink tanktop, but a pair of jeans, replacing the green skirt. and white sneakers replacing the blue ones. Her hair was up in a ponytail, and she smiles.

"Okay, so why are you here May?" She asks, and May smiles.

"I was wondering if you were gonna travel again anytime soon." May admits, and Dawn's smile vanishes.

"I-I don't think so." Dawn say, and sits down.

"But its been so long. What about Hoenn? You haven't traveled there yet." May says, trying to convince Dawn to change her mind.

"I just don't feel up to it." She says, and May frowns.

"What happened to you Dawn?" May asks, and Dawn looks down, remembering her last encounter with Ash's cruel rival, Paul.

**Flashback**

I walked out of the pokemon center, after not being about to get to sleep. I sighed, as I look at the starry sky. _We'll have to separate soon._ I think to myself, as I walk around the quiet valley. _What should I do after this? Go home? Keep traveling? _I wonder, and frown at the last idea. I look around myself, and realize I ended up walking into the forest. I hear movement behind me, and turn startled. It was a Ursaring, and it looked angry. I gasp, and reach for my pokeballs. Then remember they are in the pokemon center, and curse myself for forgetting them. The angry bear pokemon growls at me, as it moves closer to me.

"Ursaring return!" I hear a deep voice demand, and then the Ursaring it gone. I look around, and feel a hand grab my shoulder. I yelp in surprise, as I am pushed against a tree. It was Paul, he was glaring at me. "What are you doing out here, Troublesome?" He demanded, and I swallow the lump in my throat.

"I couldn't get to sleep, so I decided to go for a walk." I tell him, but his glare remains.

"What kind of fool doesn't bring their pokemon with them. What if it wasn't me? Ever think of that?" He demanded, and I stared at him wide-eyed. "There are some pretty sick people out there Troubesome." He growls, and I grow scared.

"I have Ash-" I start, but stop myself. We weren't going to travel together forever, we were actually separating in a few days.

"What are you gonna do once that loser is gone?" He demands, and I look away from him.

"I'll take care of myself." I tell him, and he laughs, a very bitter laugh.

"Don't be a fool." He says, his tone is dead serious. "Your weak, Troublesome. Your not capable of fending for yourself." He says, and I feel my spirit drop. "Once that loser leaves you, your gonna be alone. If you ask me..." He starts, stepping away from me. "You should go home, to your mommy. Your not meant to travel. Just go home, and stay there. Maybe then you won't be so Troublesome." He says, and with that leaves me.

**End of Flashback**

Dawn sighs, and looks at May. May is waiting for a reply, and Dawn is ready to give her one.

"I'm sorry. I just can't. Goodbye May. Tell the others I said hi." She says, and goes upstairs, without another word. May and Johanna exchange looks of worry, and May sighs.

"I should go." She says, no longer in a good mood. "I'll see you later. Bye, it was nice seeing you." She said, and left. Johanna sighed, and glanced up the stairs.

"Dawn...What am I going to do with you...?" She asked herself quietly, as she headed into the kitchen.

**Dawn's POV**

I sit on my bed, staring up the ceiling, and sigh. _May seemed really upset, about me saying no. _I think to myself, and frown. _Maybe it is time for me to travel again._ I consider, then remember what Paul said. _I'm not weak. I'm fully capable of taking care of myself. _I decide, and smile. I sit up, and look around my room. _I've been home for years. I need a change. _I think, as I throw my legs over the side of the bed, and get up. _Paul can't tell me what I'm capable of. He doesn't know my limits. _I think, as I grab my backpack out from under my bed. I go to my closet, and grab some clothes. _Only I know my limits. _I think, as I grab my pokeballs. I grab my belt, put it on, then clip the pokeballs to it. I zip up my bag, and head downstairs. I go to the supply closet, which is in the living room. I grab some pokemon food, and healing equipment. I go to the kitchen, and grab some dry food. As I finish I hear someone clear their throat from behind me. I turn and see my mom. She has a smile on her face, as she walks up to me. She gives me a hug, pulls away, and kisses my forehead.

"I knew you wouldn't just give up." She admited, then chuckles quietly. "You are my daughter after all." She says, which makes me smile. We head to the door, and I hug my mom one last time. "Have fun Dawn. Just be safe while your doing it. Remember to call." She tells me, and I nod. I grab my bike, and start to ride away. I look behind me, at my mom, and smile.

"Bye mom!" I yell, then turn and ride away.

Its been a couple of days, and I'm finally in Hoenn. According to my map, I should be getting close to Mauville City. There isn't a contest there, but there is a gym, and a pokemon center.

By time I arrive at the city, its getting late. It starts to rain, so I hurry to the pokemon center. I rest my bike against the side of the center, and head inside. I walk up to the counter, and smile at Nurse Joy.

"Hi, can I get a room for the night?" I ask, and she frowns.

"I'm sorry, but all our rooms are occupied." She explains, and I sigh.

"Its alright. Thanks anyway." I say, and she nods. I walk out, and head to my bike. I gasp, it was gone. _Someone stole my bike! _I realize, and frown. I sigh, and start walking through the city. I end up leaving the city all together, in a very bad mood. I shiver, as I continue to walk down the route. "This sucks. I'm cold, wet, and have no bike." I grumble to myself, and stop by a tree. "Why didn't I think to bring a tent. Or at least some money so I could buy one." I sigh, as I sit down under the tree. "What else could go wrong?" I wonder, as my stomach growls. I search through my bag, only to realize I'm out of food. "Oh, well that makes things worse." I grumble, as I look at my pokeballs. _They're probably hungry too. _I realize, and release everyone. They all look at me, and I smile weakly. I grab the pokemon food out of my bag, and give it to all of them. "Eat up guys." I sigh, and my stomach growls once again. Mamoswine looks at me worried, and strokes my hair gently with his trunk. "I'm alright. Just eat." I tell him, and he does as I tell him.

After they finish, I return them all to their pokeballs, aside from Piplup. I feel my eyelid grow heavy, and eventually fall asleep.

**?'s POV**

I walk out of the gym, annoyed. I had beat the gym leader with only my Ursaring.

"That weakling was a waste of my time." I growl, as I leave the city. I walk for a while, then notice someone near a tree. I narrow my eyes at them, as I walk closer. It was a girl, I frown. And continue to walk past her. "Not my problem." I grumble to myself, when suddenly I hear something yelling.

"Pip Piplup Pip!" A little penguin pokemon yells, as it runs after me. I glare at it, as it continues to yell at me. "Piplup Pip Pip!" It yells, and points at the girl.

"Go away." I demand, but it ignores me. It grabs my pants leg, and tries to pull me to the girl. "No. Go away." I growl, shaking the penguin off on me. I walk away from it, then I am thrown forward, by a bubbe beam. I get up, and turn to the Piplup. It has its flippers crossed, and is glaring at me.

"PIPLUP PIP PIPLUP!" It screams at me, and I sigh in annoyance. I walk towards it, and it quits glaring at me.

"Fine, have it your way." I say to it, as it takes me to the girl. She is sleeping, soaking wet, and shivering. Her hair is a dark blue, and her expression is troubled. _She looks familiar. _I think to myself, as I set up my tent. _I won't let her sleep in my tent, but I'll give her a jacket. _I think, as I shrug off my jacket. I lay it over her, and look at her face as I do. Thats when I realize who it is. I shake my head, as I stand back up. "It had to be Troublesome." I grumble, as I go into my tent.

**Hope you guys liked the chapter, will upload the next one soon! Please Review, and let me know what you think so far! Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Not You Again!**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Pokemon, or any of its characters. All credit for the show, and its characters go to Satoshi Tajiri.

**Dawn's POV**

I wake up to the bright light of morning. I blink several times, as my eyes get used to the light. I feel warmer, I look down, and see a jacket on me. _Whose jacket is this? _I wonder, as I get up. Piplup is sleeping next to me, or at least he was. He gets up with me, and I give him a confused look.

"Piplup whose jacket is this?" I ask it, and it points to the right. I see a tent, and frown.

"About time you got up." I hear someone say from behind me, and I turn around. I bow my head, and smile a little.

"Thank you for letting me use your jacket." I thank them, and Piplup looks at me like I'm crazy. "I'm sorry that you were troubled by waiting for me to wake up." I apologize quickly, feeling very thankful.

"Quit thanking me, Troublesome. Your annoying me." The person said, and I stiffen. _I know that voice. _I realize, as I slowly stand up straight. _He has gotten taller. _I think, as I look at him. He glared at me with his dark eyes, as I looked at him. His purple hair was still long, well only shoulder length, but still its long for a boy.

"P-Paul." I gasp, and he smirks. I glance at Piplup, asking with my eyes if he had known who it was. Piplup shrugged, smiling sheepishly. _He knew it was Paul. _I think, and frown a little. "Why did you help me?" I demand, and he frowns at me.

"What happened to you being so thankful?" He asked, smirk still in place. I glare at him, knowing all to well that Piplup had probably forced him to help me. Paul doesn't go out of his way to help others, its not the type of person he is. He goes to his tent, and begins to pack it up.

"I didn't expect to ever see you again, Troublesome." He admited, making a point to express how much he had wished it would have been true. "How long has it been?" He asked, as he turned to me.

"Two years." I say, through gritted teeth. He smirks at me, looking slightly amused.

"You stayed home with your mommy for two whole years." He said, more to himself than to me. "I'd say you listen well, but here you are. Traveling again." He says, his smirk still in place. "Your still as weak as you were two years ago." He tells me, and I glare at him deeply.

"Your wrong." I say, and he raises a eyebrow at me. He takes a step towards me, still smirking, but his eyes are serious.

"Then why is it that I had to help you?" He asks, and my hands clench into fists. I take a step towards him, and Piplup does as well.

"I didn't ask for your help." I tell him, and he returns my glare.

"That doesn't mean you didn't need it." He explained, and I realized I was fighting a losing argument.

"Your right." I whisper, and he gives me a surprised look. "I did need your help." I say, as I look at the ground. "But that doesn't mean I'll need it again." I growl, and walk past him. "Piplup return." I say, holding up his pokeball. He returns, and I put the pokeball back on my belt. I walk away from Paul, feeling extremely angry. _Stupid jerk! _I think to myself, as I continue down the route. I pull out my map, and look at it. _I'm about a day away from Rustboro city. _I feel my stomach growl, and frown. _I haven't eaten in about a day. _I realize, and head into the forest. I look at the trees, looking for fruit trees, but to no avail. I sigh, as I sit on the ground. Piplup looks at me, frowning, with his little flippers on his hips.

"Pip! Piplup pip plup!" He demands, (Dawn! Get up and search for food!). I smile at my bestfriend, and he does too. "Piplup pip plup piplup." He says, (Please. I don't like it when your upset.). I sigh, and nod. I get up, and continue my search for food.

I look at the sky, its dusk. I look at what I had collected, I had 3 oran berries. _Its better than nothing. _I think, as I put them in my pack. I frown, I had taken a long time to find food. I glance at my map once more, and see that I have to go through this forest to get to Rustboro City anyway. I was a good distance into the forest, maybe a third of the way. _I should continue, until I'm at least halfway through it. _I decide, and continue walking.

I walked for hours, until it was too dark for me to see. I glance around, and feel Piplup shivering next to me. "You've been out here long enough. Its cold. Piplup return." I command, holding up his pokeball. A red light glows out of the pokeball, consumes Piplup, then returns to the pokeball. I glance around once more, and see a cave. It looks cold, and wet. But its better than nothing. I walk to it, and notice a light coming from the cave. I walk to the enterance, and see a fire. _Someone is here. _I think, as I walk further into the cave. I see a bag, and a few berries. _I could take a berry. I bet they wouldn't even notice. _I think, then frown at the idea. _I'm not Team Rocket. I'm not a thief. _I scold myself silently, and sit with my back against the cave wall. _I sure hope this person won't mind if I sleep here. _I think quietly, as I fall asleep.

**Paul's POV**

I get a better grip on the pile of firewood I collected, and make my way to the cave. As I walk into it, I see a figure sitting there. I stop in my tracks, and glare at the person.

"Who are you?" I demand, but they don't move. "Get out." I growl, but they still don't move. I grow annoyed, and walk closer. I set my firewood down, and turn to the person. "Troublesome?" I ask, as I walk closer to the person. I hear a slight snore, and frown. It was Troublesome. She was muddy, wet, and shivering. _Why is it that you always end up finding me? Why not some other trainer? Someone who actually cares about your well being. _I wonder, as I place my jacket over the sleeping girl. I go to my stuff, and sit by it. I yawn, and fall asleep.

**Dawn's POV**

I sit up, and stretch my arms. I glance down, and see a familiar jacket. I glance around, but the cave is empty. _I_ _wonder who that was. _I think to myself, as I look at the jacket in my jacket was blue, and black. It seemed familiar, but I couldn't quite put my finger on who it belonged too. I shrug, and put on the jacket. I walk out of the cave, and notice a small pile of berries. I smiled, and counted how many there was. 3 oran berries, 2 pecha berries. I grinned, as I put them into my bag. I release my pokemon from their pokeballs, feed them, then return them. I leave Piplup out, and he gives me a weird look.

"Piplup pip piplup?" He asks, (Whose jacket is that?). I shrug, as we start walking through the forest.

We make it out of the forest around lunchtime, so I feed my pokemon once more. I eat a few oran berries, then look at the map. _Just have to keep on this route, and I'll arrive at Rustboro City. _I think to myself, as I return my pokemon. I start to hum to myself, then full on sing. **(I don't wanna dance By: Hey Monday)**

_You, you hit with me a break_  
_And now you're back for more_  
_Your song's the same_  
_Leave me with all the blame_  
_I don't have time for another game_

_I don't wanna dance_  
_So don't you ask me, babe_  
_I don't wanna dance_  
_You blew your chance_  
_To rock my night away_  
_I want some fun_  
_But you're so not the one_  
_I don't wanna dance_  
_So let it go_  
_You'll never take me home_  
_Take me home_  
_Take me home_

I sing, smiling as I do. Piplup is looking up at me curiously, and I grin down at him.

_Talk to me without a sound_  
_'Cause you were such a tool_  
_Who's sorry now?_  
_You, you're shaking on the floor_  
_Watch me walking out the door_

_I don't wanna dance_  
_So don't you ask me, babe_  
_I don't wanna dance_  
_You blew your chance_  
_To rock my night away_  
_I want some fun_  
_But you're so not the one_  
_I don't wanna dance_  
_So let it go_  
_You'll never take me home_  
_Take me home_  
_Take me home_

_Don't tell the DJ to hit rewind_  
_Tonight, there's no you and me_  
_Don't play that record_  
_Don't waste your time_

I stop walking, then walk again as I continue the song.

_You, you threw it all away_

_I don't wanna dance_  
_So don't you ask me, babe_  
_I don't wanna dance_  
_You blew your chance_  
_To rock my night away_  
_I want some fun_  
_But you're so not the one_  
_I don't wanna dance_  
_So let it go_  
_You'll never take me home_  
_Take me home_

_Take me home_

_Take me home_

_Take me home_

I finish with a big grin on my face, then realize that I can see the City. I grin, and look at Piplup.

"Come on! Lets go!" I yell, and we run to the town. I look for the pokemon center, but don't see it right away. I look around as I'm walking, _So many buildings-_

"OUT OF THE WAY!" I hear someone yell, then I collide with someone, causing me to fall on my butt. I sit up slowly, rubbing my now sore back. "I'm fining you one million dollars, if you don't apologize for running into me right now!" A familiar voice yells, and I look up.

"Barry?" I ask, and he looks down at me, curiousity in his eyes. I stand up, and grin.

"Dawn?" He asks, obviously forgetting about fining me. I stretch my hand down to him, and he takes it. I pull him up, and into a hug.

"Its been so long. How have you been?" I ask, as we pull away.

"I've been good. I just was-" He stops, his eyes widening. "I FORGOT! I'VE GOT TO GO! BYE DAWN!" He yells, running away. I stand there for a second, then shake my head.

"Same old Barry." I sigh, as I look around for the Pokemon Center. I enter it, and walk up to Nurse Joy. "Hi, can I get a single room?" I ask, and she frowns a little.

"Sorry, but all our single rooms are taken." She explains, then smiles once more. "But there is a room available with another trainer." She says, and I nod.

"I'll take that room then. Thanks Nurse Joy." I say, and she smiles.

"Its room 14." She tells me, as I head down the hall. I go to my room, and see that my roommate isn't there. I shrug, and put my stuff on the empty bed. I walk out of the room, and head back to Nurse Joy.

"Can I sign up for the next contest?" I ask, and she nods.

"Its in about 2 weeks." She tells me, handing me a paper. I sign it, and smile.

"Thanks." I say, and head back to my room. I grab some clean clothes from my bag, and head to the bathroom. I take a shower, and get changed into my clothes. I'm now in a pair of black shorts, a pink tee with a Pichu on it, and Pink sneakers.

**Paul's POV**

I walk into my room, at the center. I hear the shower, and figure I had a roommate now. I shrug, and take my shirt off. I searched through my bag for a new one, when I heard the door to the bathroom open. I look up, and my eyes meet a pair of dark blue ones. It was Troublesome, she was in the process of drying her hair, when out eyes met. Her cheeks turn a light shade of pink. She sets her towl down on her bed, and I go back to searching through my bag for a shirt. I finally find one, and put it on. _Why me? Why did she have to get a room with me? _I ask myself silently, and glance at her. She is looking at me. She her face turns red, as she quickly looks away.

**Dawn's POV**

I glance at Paul to see if he has a shirt on now, wondering how we keep ending up running into eachother. Then suddenly he looks at me, on relfex I look away quickly. I feel my cheeks heat up in a blush, at being caught staring.

"So, Paul..." I start, looking back at him. I rake my brain for something to talk about. _He is a trainer like Ash, Gym badges! _"How many badges do you have so far?" I ask, and he raises an eyebrow at me. He remains silent, and I grow embarassed. "I-I mean, I was just curious. You don't have to tell me if you don't want-"

"Two." He interrups my babbling. "I have two badges." He tells me, and I sigh in relief.

"So this one will be your third right?" I ask, and he nods. "So um-"

"Why are you bugging me?" He asks, and I look away.

"I was just trying to be nice..." I say, and hear him snort.

"I'm not nice to you, so why would you be nice to me?" He asks, then glances at the jacket on my bed. His cheeks turn the slightest pink, so small the its barely noticable. I glance at the jacket, then at him. I grab the jacket, and throw it at him.

"Thanks for the jacket." I say, after I realized it was his. "Since we keep running into eachother..." I start, without thinking it through. "Do you want to travel together?" I ask, and he looks at me.

"No." He says, and I feel...disappointed? _Why am I upset about that? _I wonder, but shrug it off.

"What if you lose the gym here, then can we travel together?" I ask, and he smirks a little.

"Sure, but its not gonna happen." He grumbles, then leaves. I leave as well, and go to the empty space behind the center. I call out my pokemon and look at them, trying to decide who to use as Appeal, and who to use as battle. Its a double battle so I need to choose 4 pokemon.

"Buneary, Piplup, Mamoswine, and Quilava." I decide, and return the others. Buneary grins at me, doing a cute little twirl. "Buneary, Mamoswine lets start with you guys." I say, and she comes over to me. I stop and try to think of something to do. "Buneary jump on Mamoswine's back, and spin using Icebeam. Mamoswine use Ice Shard and aim for the icebeam!" I command, and they do as said. The Ice Shard is shot into the air, and is hit by icebeam. This causes the shard to grow in size, and begin to plummet to the ground. "Catch it Mamoswine!" I command, and he does. He catches it on his trunk, holds it there. "Now Buneary use bounce, and go into the air! Mamoswine throw the Ice shard into the air as well!" I say, and they do. "Buneary Dizzy Punch on the Ice shard!" I say, and look at Mamoswine. "Hidden power on the ice shard!" I yell, and they do. Buneary uses dizzy punch which breaks the shard in two, then Mamoswine's hidden power hits the two pieces causing them to shatter. "Buneary land on Mamoswine's trunk!" I command, and she does. She lands on his trunk in a ballerina pose, and blue and white sparkles rain down around them. "Yes!" I cheer, and they do too. I hug my pokemon, and smile. "Great work guys!" I praise them, as I pull away.

We practiced until it was dusk, then I returned them to their pokeballs. I yawn, and go back into the pokemon center. I go into my room, and see Paul is still there. He is just laying on his bed, staring at the ceiling.

"Hey Paul." I greet him, and he nods in return. "Did you win?" I ask, and he nods. I feel a little upset, _I knew he was gonna win. So why do I feel upset? _I wonder as I lay down on my bed. "Night Paul." I say, knowing that he'll be gone before I get up.

I wake up, and look at Paul's bed. As I thought Paul is gone, I frown a little. I leave the pokemon center, after showering and changing. I'm now in a purple tanktop, a white skirt, and white sandals. I have my hair up in a ponytail, and head behind the center. I gasp when I see someone is there, they turn around, and smirk.

"Surpised I'm still here, Troublesome?" He asks, as I walk closer.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**Practice Makes Perfect!**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Pokemon, or any of its characters. All credit for the show, and its characters go to Satoshi Tajiri.

"P-Paul..." Dawn gasps, as Paul smirks at her. She walks over to him, and his pokemon. Confusion is clearly written all over her face, as she stares at the young plum-haired boy in shock. "Why are you still here?" She asks, as he returns his pokemon.

"Because I figured I'd end up running into you again anyway. So why not just travel with you, so that you don't get yourself worse off." Paul explained, his cheeks turning slightly pink. "I mean so it won't be of more pain for me later on." He continues, composing his expression. Dawn grinned at him, and he looked away from her crossing his arms. "Don't think this means I care about you. I just don't want to trouble myself with you, anymore that I have too." He tells her coldly. This causes her smile to faulter, but still remain.

"Thanks, Paul." She says, and he shrugs. She walks to the other side of the small battle area, and grabs her pokeballs. "Lets battle!" She said, and Paul raised his brow at her. "Think of it as training." She says, and he sighs. "Two on Two, no substitutions." She tells him, and he nods. "Buneary, Mamoswine. Spot light!" She yells, throwing two pokeballs in the air.

"Ursaring, Torterra. Go!" Paul yells, throwing two pokeballs into the air. All the poekmon come out, yelling their names as they do. "Torterra use Frenzy Plant!" Paul commanded, and Dawn gasped. Giant Vines begain to shoot out of the ground, heading towards Dawn's pokemon.

"Buneary Bounce into the air! Mamoswine ancient power at Torterra!" Dawn commanded. Buneary bounce high into the air, as Mamoswine charged its ancient power.

"Ursaring use Hammer Arm on Mamoswine!" Paul commanded, focusing on Mamoswine.

"Now, Buneary bounce onto the vines, and head for Torterra! Then use dizzy punch!" Dawn commanded, Paul glared at her Buneary. Mamoswine shot its ancient power at Torterra, but it hit Ursaring close up instead. Ursaring was sent flying backwards, and Buneary bounced at Torterra.

"Torterra, Vine whip on Buneary!" Paul commanded, and Torterra caught Buneary in its vines. "Giga Drain!" Paul yelled, and Dawn gasped.

"NO! Buneary use Ice beam, then dizzy punch to break free quick!" Dawn yelled, then looked at Mamoswine. "Mamoswine use Take Down on Torterra after Buneary is free!" Dawn commanded. Buneary's Ice beam hit Torterra right in the face, which loosened its grip enough so that Buneary's Dizzy punch set her free. Mamoswine came charging at Torterra, but Ursaring was between the two.

"Ursaring, stop Mamoswine!" Paul yelled, and Ursaring stopped Mamoswine in its tracks. "Use Slash repeatedly!" Paul commanded, and his pokemon did as commanded. Mamoswine after being hit multiple times, fell to the ground.

"No Mamoswine!" Dawn cried out, then glared at Paul. "Buneary jump on Mamoswines back!" She commanded. "Good, now use Dizzy Punch, then Bounce on Ursaring!" Dawn yelled, and her pokemon nodded. Buneary hit Ursaring several times with Dizzy Punch in the face, then did a backflip and used bounce on his face. Ursaring fell to the ground. "Okay guys, return." Dawn said, much calmer now. Paul also returned his pokemon, as Dawn walked over to him. "That was fun." She told him, and he shrugged.

**Dawn's POV**

I smile at Paul, as we walk down the city streets. We pass by a little cafe, and I stop Paul.

"What is it Troublesome?" He asked, and I glared at him.

"My name is Dawn!" I growl, and he smirks. "Lets go to the cafe." I say, excitedly.

"Lets not, and say we didn't." He says, and starts walking again. I run in front of him, turn around, and stop.

"Please, Paul." I ask, putting on my best pouty face. He pushes me aside, and walks past me. I grab his hand, and he stops in his tracks. I pull him to the cafe, and sit us down at a booth. When I finally look at him, he is glaring out the window, his cheeks red. "You really should smile more you know." I tell him, and he glances at me.

"No." He says, looking back out the window. I grin, as the waitress comes over to us.

"Hi, what can I get you?" She asks, her eyes right on Paul.

"A coffee for me." I say, and she writes it down. Paul looks at her, and she takes a step back. "A coffee for him as well." I say, and she hurriedly writes it down, and leaves. I glare at Paul, and he looks at me.

"What?" He demands, and I frown at him.

"You scared that poor girl." I scold him, and he shrugs. "I bet you'd look alot nicer if you smiled." I tell him, and he ignores me. "Will you smile for me?" I ask, and he glares at me. _I'll take that as a no. _I think to myself, as I feel a bit of sweat trickly down the side of my face. I sigh, and look out the window as well. _This is boring. _I sigh, which causes Paul to look at me.

"Whats your problem?" He asks, clearly annoyed. The waitress arrives with our coffee, sets them down, then leaves. I add cream, and sugar to my coffee.

"Just bored is all." I tell Paul, and he rolls his eyes.

"When are you not bored?" He asks, and I shrug.

"When I'm sleeping I guess." I admit, with a smile. He rolls his eyes once more, then take a sip of his coffee. I on the other hand, didn't think about how hot the coffee would be, and took a big gulp of it. I swallow it fast, and gasp. I feel a tear prick my eye, as I burned my mouth. Paul's lips turn slightly up, obviously amused by my pain. "Its not funny." I growl, which makes his smile grow.

"I find it pretty funny." He says, taking a small sip of his coffee. I frown at him, cross my arms, and look out the window. I feel my lips turn up into a small smile, and sigh.

"Okay, maybe it was a little funny." I admit, turning back to Paul. His smile is gone, even though it was barely visible to begin with.

"When is the contest?" Paul asked suddenly, catching me by surprise.

"In two weeks." I tell him, and he sighs. He obviously doesn't like the idea of having to wait that long. We finish our coffee in silence, then leave after Paul kindly paid the bill. By 'kindly' I mean I told him I'd pay him back. We walk around the town, as I try to think of something for us to do. Thats when I saw some trainers performing with their pokemon in the town square. I grin, as we walk closer to them. I notice a girl with short red hair, and my grin widens. "Zoey?" I ask, walking up to her. She turns around, and grins at me.

"Dawn!" She calls out to me, meeting me half-way. "How have you been?" She asks, giving me a hug. Her Glameow walks over to us, and jumps onto Zoey's shoulder. Zoey smiles at her pokemon companion, and pats her head.

"I've been good. How are things with you and Kenny?" I ask, which causes Zoey to blush slightly. She shuffles her feet, looking down shyly. "Something happened!" I realize, and her cheeks turn a brighter shade of red. "Spill it!" I demand, and she shakes her head.

"Not while your boyfriend is here." She says, and I look at her confused.

"Boyfriend? Who?" I ask glancing around us, and she points at Paul. I look at Paul, and he looks at me. My face goes bright red, and I shake my head franticly. "Me and Paul?! Nononono!" I practically yell, causing people to glance at us curiously. Zoey raises an eyebrow at me, then looks at Paul. Her eyes widen, and I figure she remembered who Paul is.

"Wait." She said, looking directly at Paul. "Your Ash's old rival." She says, then looks at me once more. "So you guys really aren't together?" She asks me, and I shake my head.

"No. We are the furthest thing from a couple." I tell her, and she frowns.

"Lets go to the Pokemon center, we can hang in your room." She says, then glances at Paul. "Thats alright with you right?" She asks, and he nods.

With that we head to our room in the pokemon center, and me and Zoey head into the room.

We sit on my bed, and I figure Paul is going to go train his pokemon. I glance at Zoey, and she has a serious look on her face, then she frowns at me.

"Girl, you need to get over Ash!" She yells, and I shush her.

"I don't like him!" I exclaim, which makes Zoey laugh.

"Your red cheeks say otherwise! You still like him!" She says, then she shakes her head slightly. "He is dating Misty, move on!" She demands, and I sigh.

"I told you, I don't like him! I got over him a long time ago. He made it perfectly obvious that he didn't feel the same." I say, remembering the pain of heartbreak. "He told me himself, that he would never like me in that way." I tell Zoey, and she gives me a sympathetic smile. She walks over, sits beside me, and wraps her arm around my shoulder.

"I know you traveled with him for a long time..." She starts, smiling at me. "But he has someone he loves. Its been over two years, since you guys last saw eachother." She sighs, trying to think of a way to make me feel better. "You have a perfectly nice guy right in front of you. Open your eyes." She demands, and I frown. I pull her arm off of me, and look at her.

"Who are you talking about?" I ask, and she smiles sweetly.

"You know who I'm talking about, Dawn." She says, and I shake my head.

"No. I really don't." I assure her, and her smile turns into a smirk.

"I'm talking about Paul." She tells me, and I suddenly feel ill.

"Paul? Nice?! Ha! You have to be joking!" I exclaim, waiting for her to say something like, 'Haha funny right?' or 'Just kidding!'. But she doesn't, she continues to smirk at me. "You can't possibly be serious!" I scoff at her, and her smirk slowly fades. "Paul is the most frustrating, rude, horrible excuse for a trainer I've ever met!" I yell, and she suddenly smirks at me again. "What is it this time?" I demand, glaring at her.

"So..." She pauses, smirk still in place. "Whens the wedding?" She asks, and I punch her in the arm. She laughs, and I soon laugh as well. After we calm down, Zoey looks at the clock. "I should go." She sighs, and I nod. She walks over to the door, opening it. "Bye Dawn." She says, as Paul walks in past her. She stops behind Paul for a second, mouthing the words 'Good luck', and winking at me. I blush slightly, causing Paul to raise an eyebrow at me.

"Whats wrong with you?" He asks, and I shake my head. He lets it drop, and I go get changed in the bathroom. I come back out, and see Paul is already asleep. I walk over to him, and nearly gasp. _He is smiling! _I blush slightly, while looking at his peaceful face. _Maybe he isn't that bad after all. _I think, as I walk over to my bed.

**HarvestMoonForever101: Thanks for taking the time to read my story. I understand that some of you may not like my style of writing. And I'm okay with that, but please try not to be harsh with your reviews. **

**Sorry that it took me so long to upload more. I've been busy with school, so haven't had any time to upload. But I will try to upload sooner in the future. **

**Thanks again for reading, see you in the next chapter! :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**Hey DeeDee**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Pokemon, or any of its characters. All credit for the show, and its characters go to Satoshi Tajiri.

**Dawn's POV**

I wake up to the sound of someone pounding on our door. I sit up, and throw my legs over the side of the bed. yawning. I head to the door, opening it slowly.

"Hey DeeDee!" The person who disturbed my slumber yelled, causing me to look up shocked. It was Kenny! His hair was still pretty long, but it was neatly combed. He chuckled, taking in my appearance. "Did you just get up?" He asked, and I nod sleepily. "I'll be in the loby, meet me there. Once your done waking the rest of the way up." He says, and I close the door. I turn around, and Paul is sitting up in his bed, looking quite annoyed.

"Troublesome, you should teach your friends not to bug people so early in the morning." He grumbled, and I frown at him. I go to my bag, and grab some fresh clothes. I go take a shower, get changed, and walk back out. I accidenly walk in on Paul putting his shirt on, and I feel a blush spread across my cheeks. "Troublesome, do you enjoy seeing me shirtless?" Paul teased, smirking at me, while putting his shirt on. I glare at him, and stick my tongue out.

"You wish!" I exclaim, and his smirk stays in place. He shrugs, and walks out of the room. I frown, and leave the room as well. I walk into the loby, and see Kenny sitting there. He looked up at me, and smiled. He stood up, meeting me halfway across the room.

"Hey DeeDee took you long enough." He teased, and I glared at him.

"I told you not to call me that!" I growled, and he chuckled. He started walking away, and smirked over his shoulder.

"Whatever you say..." He faces away from me, and I frown. "DeeDee..." He finishes, and I glare at the back of his head. I see Paul is next to me, and he has curiousity in his eyes.

"DeeDee?" He asks, and I growl. I turn to him, and glare.

"Don't. Even. Ask." I say through gritted teeth, and begin to walk away. We walk around the town in silence, _Man this is gonna be a long two weeks... _I think to myself, glancing over at Paul.

**TWO WEEKS LATER...**

"Oh no!" I exclaim panicing, looking at the calender. "Those two weeks went by too fast! I'm not ready! I can't do this!" I whine, sitting on my bed in defeat.

"Troublesome, quit whining!" Paul demanded, standing in front of me. I look up at him, not calming down one bit.

"I'm not ready, Paul. Maybe we should just leave..." I sigh, feeling weak.

"You didn't make me stay here for two extra weeks, just for you to leave without even trying." Paul growled, glaring at me. "I could have 3 more badges by now!" He exclaimed, and I look away. "You'll do fine. Even if you lose, at least you tried instead of running away like a weakling!" He finished, and I nod. _Hes right. I should try, at least if I do lose...I'll have given it my all! _I think to myself, smiling.

"Your right." I admit, standing up. I grab my pokeballs, and let my pokemon out. They all look at me, waiting for me to say or do something. "Guys..." I start, smiling at my loyal pokemon. "Are you ready to win this!?" I ask, and they cheer.

I get changed into my dress, its a light blue, strapless, and ends a little above my knee. My hair is up in a ponytail, and I have a little makeup on. I have black pumps on. I smile, and leave the dressing room. I find Zoey and Kenny, they are sitting next to eachother on a bench by the backstage tv. I stop, a few feet away from them, still unnoticed. Kenny says something to Zoey, which causes her to blush. I then walk over, smirking at the couple.

"Hey lovebirds." I say, them to jump. Both their faces go red, or in Zoey's case redder. "Are you guys ready for the contest?" I ask, and they nod.

"You better not lose before you face me, Dawn!" Zoey demands, and I grin.

"I won't! I'll see you final round!" I say, and we shake on it. Meanwhile Kenny is just sitting there probably feeling like a third wheel. I sit by Zoey, letting her still sit by her boyfriend.

"Wheres Paul?" Zoey asks, and I shrug. This makes her frown, and Kenny gets a confused look. "He isn't coming?" She asks, and I sigh.

"I don't know. He is probably off training somewhere. He doesn't have any reason to be here." I tell them, wondering why they are so curious of Paul.

**Narrator's POV**

The crowd watchs as Vivian makes her way to the stage, microphone in hand.

"Hello everyone! Welcome to the Rustboro City Pokemon Contest!" She yells, and the crowd cheers. "Please welcome our wonderful panel of judges!" She says gesturing to the judges behind her. "Mr. Contesta!" She says, and the crowd cheers.

"I hope this contest is remarkable!" He says, smiling.

"Next Mr. Sukizo!" Vivian says, and Mr. Sukizo waves.

"Finally our own Nurse Joy!" Vivian says, and Nurse joy smiles sweetly at the crowd.

"Now lets welcome our contestants!" Vivian says, and all the contestants come out waving. And the crowd goes wild.

**Dawn's POV**

I sigh, sitting down on the bench. _This is gonna take forever! _I think to myself, already feeling bored. I watch the tv, watching while the others compete.

"Next up is Dawn Berlitz!" Vivian yells, and I wave at the crowd. I grab my two pokeballs, and grin. I do a spin, throwing the pokeballs into the air as I do.

"Spot light!" I yell, and gasp as I see which pokemon they are. It wasn't mamoswine, and buneary. It was Piplup, and Quilava. "Oh no." I mutter, completly unprepared for this pairing. _I better do something quick! _I think, and snap my fingers smirking. "Piplup use whirlpool, and Quilava use flamethrower on the whirlpool!" I command, and they do as I say. A whirlpool emerges from Piplup's beak, and Quilava shoots its flamethrower right at the whirlpool. The fire begins spinning inside the whirlpool, don't know how thats possible, but it does. Its like a flaming whirlpool! "Now Piplup spin and use Bubble beam on the whirlpool! Quilava Spin and use swift!" I command, grinning as it plays out before my eyes. My polemon grab onto eachothers arms, and spin. Quilava's Swift enter the bubbles Piplup is making. The combined attack hits the flaming whirlpool, causing it to explode in red, blue, and yellow sparkles. My pokemon stop spinning, and pose. The crowd roars, and I sigh in relief.

"What a wonderful performance by Dawn, lets hear what the judges have to say." Vivian says, walking over to where the judges are seated.

"It was remarkable!" Mr. Contesta says, smiling.

"A very beautiful performance." Mr. Sukizo proclaims, nodding in approval.

"I loved how the whirlpool and flamethrower combined." Nurse Joy admited, smiling brightly. I go backstage, and sit on the bench with a sigh.

"Whats your problem troublesome?" I voice demands, from behind me. I turn around startled, seeing Paul leaning against the wall behind me. He is smirking slightly, at the shocked expression on my face.

"Why are you here?" I ask, still in shock. I fully expected him to be off training somewhere. I never expected to see him here.

"Nurse Joy insisted I come, said something about you hoping I would." He says, and I blush slightly. _Note to self, never tell Nurse Joy anything like that again. _I think to myself, feeling embarassed. I stick my tongue out at him, and cross my arms.

"I don't know what you talking about." I lie, turning away from Paul.

"But DeeDee, you seemed sad when you thought Paul wasn't here." Kenny says suddenly, walking up to us. I feel my face heat up, and vow to kill Kenny later.

Our discussion about my feelings are interuped by Vivian annoucing that the following people will be moving on. I cross my finger, as I watch the pictures pop up on the tv.

My picture never pops up, I didn't make it through. I feel my heart sink, and tears feel my eyes. I rush into the locker room, and change quickly. I walk out of the locker room, and Kenny, Zoey, and Paul look at me. I don't say anything to them, I just leave. After I leave the stadium, I begin to run. I run away, now allowing the tears to escape my eyes. _I can't believe I thought my performance was good! _I think, as I run. I fall to my knees, and punch the ground sobbing. _I never should have started traveling again! _I sob, my tears hitting the cold cement. _God, I'm such a idiot! _I think, as I kneel there crying.

"Are you done yet?" Paul demands from behind me, and I glare up at him. "Your acting like a weaklin-"

"You think I don't know that!?" I yell, cutting him off. "I know I'm acting weak! You know why I'm acting that way!?" I scream at him, tears streaming down my face. "Its because I AM weak!" I yell, glaring at him.

"Troublesome! Your acting like a bitch!" Paul snaps at me, glaring at me. "Your a weak, stupid little-" I slap Paul across the face, silencing him. He stares at me wide-eyed, holding his cheek. I glare at him, not caring about the pain I just caused him.

"I hate you! You unfeeling asshole!" I yell, and run to the pokemon center. I rush to our room, and pack my things quickly. As I'm about to leave, the door suddenly opens. I'm shoved against the wall by the door, and am glared at deeply by Paul's black eyes. I tremble, fearing what he may do. His glare is intense, and his right cheek is bright red, from when I slapped him.

"What do you think your doing?!" He demands, and I swallow the lump forming in my throat. _What was I doing? Oh yeah! I was leaving, without him. _

"I-I'm leaving." I tell him, my voice quivering slightly.

"You'd die." He growls, and I feel sweat trickle down the side of my face.

"How do you kn-" He shuts me up with a glare, which makes me shudder in fear.

"Your not capable of caring for yourself. Your not leaving without me." He says, and I blink. _Did he just say, I have to travel with him? _I wonder, slightly shocked. "You stay here, while I pack." He commands, and I nod.

We leave the city in silence, neither of us has spoken since he yelled at me. I glance over at him, and look at his cheek. I feel guilty for slapping him, he hadn't really done anything wrong. He was rude, but he was right. I was acting like a child, a spoiled one at that. He glances over at me, our eyes making contact. I look away quickly, embarassed to be caught staring. _I should apologize. _I realize, and sigh.

"Paul?" I say, not daring to look at him. He grunts so I know I've been heard. "I'm sorry. That I...you know...slapped you." I say, and finally look over at him. He is looking away from me, and straight ahead. "It was uncalled for, since you were right. I was being a child." I admit, and he finally looks at me. He has a neutral look on his face, but his eyes show anger.

"Don't do it again." He says, and I grin. I've been forgiven. I nod, and we continue on our way to down the route.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**I Don't Care**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Pokemon, or any of its characters. All credit for the show, and its characters go to Satoshi Tajiri.

Me and Paul have been down the route, and entered a thick forest. The only times we've spoken, are when I've started a conversation. I sigh, feeling lonely, even though Paul is walking right next to me. We haven't stopped once, since leaving the city. I'm cold, tired, and hungry. I shiver, as we continue throught the dark forest. Its nighttime, but Paul insists on continuing to walk. _Is this guy some kind of robot? _I wonder, glancing over at companion. _He doesn't even look tired, how is that possible?! _**(A.N: That explains everything!) **I frown, and my stomach growls very loudly. Paul glances over at me, a eyebrow raised. I blush bright red, and look away. _Stupid stomach! _

I glance back over, only to realize Paul is gone. I stop and glance around, Paul was behind me. He had stopped, and was setting up camp. I glare at him, as I stomp over.

"How long were you going to let me continue to walk!?" I demand, and he doesn't even look up from setting up the tent.

"I knew you'd look over at me before going much further." He replys, and I feel my face heat up. _So he does notice. _I think, feeling very embarassed. He pulls out a oran berry from his back, and begins to eat it. I grab my bag, and eat some fruit as well.

Once we're done, we're left with one problem. The tent. _Are we going to share the tent? _I wonder, not enjoying the thought. I glance at Paul, and see his is going into the tent.

"Are we sharing the tent?" I ask, dreading the answer. He pops his head back out, and nods. I swallow the newly formed lump in my throat, and enter the tent. It was small, and I went way to the right side. He glances over at me, and shakes his head, sighing.

"I'm not your breeder friend, calm down. I won't do anything. " He says, and I relax a bit. I lay down, my back to him, and close my eyes. I shiver, and something is thrown at me. I was about to yell, when I notice its Paul's jacket. I look over at him, but he has his back turned to me. "Put it on. You'll get sick otherwise, and I don't feel like dealing with your whining." He demands, and I put on the warm jacket. I lay back down, and turn my back to him once more.

"Thanks Paul." I say, and drift off to sleep.

I wake up, and sit up slowly. I feel a little warm, and remember I'm wearing Paul's jacket. I leave the little tent, and Paul isn't anywear to be seen. I wander around, looking for the arrogant trainer.

"Ursaring use Hammer Arm!" I hear Paul yell, and follow his voice. I see him training his pokemon, and hide behind a tree. _I feel like a stalker. _I think, and shake my head. He hadn't noticed me, and was completely focused on his training. _His pokemon are really strong. _I think, and take notice of how his pokemon trust him. _He may be cruel, but his pokemon still trust him. _I realize, and smile a little. "Ursaring return!" Paul commands, and I hide behind the tree. "You can come out now Troublesome!" Paul yells, and I turn bright red. I come out from behind the tree, caught red-handed. I walk over to the boy, who has a small smirk on his face. "Are you my stalker now Troublesome?" He asks, and I shake my head.

"No. I knew you would quit training if you knew I was here. I was curious." I admit, and look at my feet. He walks past me, his hand accidently brushing against mine. I feel my heart skip a beat, but ignore it.

"Lets go Troublesome. We need to get to Slateport. You slept in late." Paul says, and I rush up to meet him. We pack up the tent, gather a few berries, then continue our way through the forest.

We walk for hours, until we finally exit the forest. _My feet are killing me. _I think, as we walk down the route. Suddenly we see someone running towards us, screaming.

"Barry?" I ask, squinting my eyes. The blonde boy is running at us full speed, I glance behind him, and my eyes widen. "Oh no." I whisper, as I see a angry swarm of Beedrill chasing after him. Barry runs past us, knocking me down in the process. I hurry to get up, but its to late, the Beedrill are to close for me to escape. I close my eyes, and prepare to be attacked.

"Ursaring use Hyperbeam!" Paul yells, and I open my eyes. Paul is standing in front of me, with Ursaring using Hyperbeam at the Beedrill. The Beedrill scatter, and retreat into the distance. Paul returns Ursaring, and turns to me. "Get up." He demands, and I do. I look at him, smiling. "What?" He snaps, scowling at me.

"Thanks for saving me." I said, and his scowl turns into a glare.

"Listen here, Troublesome." He growls, glaring down at me. "I didn't save you. I saved myself. Got it? I couldn't care less what happens to you." He says, and I frown, but nod. He spins on his heels, and starts walking down the route once more. I follow behind him, slowly, and confused. _If he doesn't care what happens to me, why is he making me travel with him? _I wonder, as I walk behind the plum-haired boy. _Why did he give me his jacket all those times? _I think, and glance down quickly. I still had his jacket on, which caused me to blush. _Why am I still wearing this thing? Why didn't he take it back? _As these questions run through my head, I don't notice that Paul has stopped walking, and run into his back. I gasp in shock, as I fall on my butt. He turns and glares at me, as I pick myself off the ground.

"Why did you stop?" I ask, and he ignores me. He starts walking once again, and I follow him. _What was that? He just stopped for no reason! Was he seeing if I was paying attention, or something? _I wonder, and glare at the back of his head. "Jerk." I mutter under my breath, and see his shoulders stiffen. _Did he hear me? _I wonder, as we continue down the long route. I hear what sound like a stampede, from behind us. I look back, and see Barry. He skids to a stop next to me, and I look at him wide-eyed. "Hey Barry." I greet him, smiling.

"Hey Dawn." He says, and we walk next to eachother.

"Where are you heading?" I ask, and he thinks for a moment.

"Slateport City." He says, and I grin. I feel happy to have a friend to talk to, Paul isn't much of a talker unless he is critizing. _I'm glab Barry is here. He is so sweet!_

"Cool. Thats where we're going." I exclaim, grabbing Barry's arm in my excitment.

"Maybe. I could stay with you guys until we get there." He says, a small blush spreading across his cheeks. I smile at the hyper boy, as we continue to walk.

"Yeah. That would be cool." I say, which makes Barry's blush darken slightly. I look down, and realize that I'm still holding onto his arm. "Sorry!" I exclaim, letting go of his arm qucikly. He scratchs the back of his head, and laughs nervously.

"Its okay. It wasn't bugging me at all." He says, and I nod. I glance ahead, and notice that Paul's body is stiff. _Whats wrong with him? _I wonder, and walk faster so I can catch up with him. I'm now walking next to him, feeling slightly worried.

"Whats wrong?" I ask, and he glares at me. _Why do I even try?! _I think, stopping and walking with Barry once more. I glare at the back of Paul's head, irritated with his behavior.

"There was a contest in the last town, how did it go?" Barry asks, and I stiffen. I feel a small pain in my heart, as I remember my loss. "Dawn?" Barry asks, worried by my silence.

"I didn't make it past the first round." I tell him, staring straight ahead.

"Dawn, I'm sorry." Barry says, feeling guilty. I look at him, forcing a smile.

"Its fine." I lie, faking happiness. "No need to worry." I tell him, he nods, looking uncertain. I look ahead of us again, and see Paul glancing over his shoulder at me. I look past him, and see Slateport. I sigh in relief, and walk faster. "Come on guys! Lets go!" I exclaim, as I run to the city.

We enter the pokemon center, and head straight for Nurse Joy. Barry pulls me aside, looking embarassed. I wait for him to say something, looking up at him curiously.

"Dawn. If you want, we could share a room." He suggests, blushing. I smile at him, concidering my options. Just as I'm about to answer, Paul walks over to us.

"Troublesome, we're in room 3. Lets go." Paul demands, grabbing my arm roughly. Once we are in our room, I snatch my arm out of his grasp.

"What the hell is your problem?!" I demand, glaring at him. "You force me to travel with you! Ignore me, then get pissed when I talk to Barry!?" I yell at the irritating plum-haired boy. I glare at him, waiting for his to say something. "Are you going to say anything?!" I yell, and he just turns and starts unpacking. I groan in annoyance, and start unpacking as well. I lay on my bed, and stare up at the ceiling. _Why is Paul acting like this? He is acting like a bigger jerk than usual. I was only...talking to Barry? Is...he jealous? _I wonder, and smirk a little. "Hey Paul?" I ask, and don't get a reply. "Are you jealous?" I ask, and hear him growl. Then I'm shoved hard onto the bed, pinned down by an angry plumhead. **(A.N: DUN DUN DUUUN!)**

"I'm not jealous! I don't care about you! So why would I be jealous!?" He hisses at me, his breath blowing into my face. I blink several time, in shock my his suddenly action. I then glare back at him, officially pissed.

"If you don't care, then why do you keep saving me!? Why are you forcing me to travel with you!? Huh!? What do you say to that!?" I yell, and he growls at me. He gets off me, storms out of the room, making sure to slam it as he does. I lay there in shock, my brain still processing what happened. _He didn't answer the question. _I realize, and frown. I get up, and go take a shower. After my shower, I get changed into a pair of light pink pj shorts, and a white tank. I braid my hair, and leave the bathroom. Its still to early for bed, so I search through my bag. I find nothing of interest, and sigh in defeat. I glance at the clock, _7:17. Early to bed, early to rise I guess. _I think, and fall asleep.

I wake up slightly, when I hear the door open. I crack open my eyes, and see Paul walk inside. He glares at me, thinking I'm asleep. He walks over to me, I feel something warm cover me, then I drift back to sleep.

**Narrator's POV**

The sun shines throw the pokecenter window, waking up Dawn. She stretchs, and yawns.

"Huh, I don't remember covering up." She murmurs to herself, but shrugs it off. She changes her bottoms into a pair of jean shorts. She then slips on a pair of light blue sneakers, and fixs her braid. She leave the room, and heads to Nurse Joy. "Hi. I'd like to register for the Contest." Dawn tells her, and the poke-nurse smiles saddly at the trainer.

"There isn't going to be a contest for a while." She says, and Dawn sighs saddly.

"Its ok. Thanks anyway." With that the young girl leaves the center, and goes into the city.

**Dawn's POV**

I wander around the town, feeling down. I see Paul, and decide to confront him. I start to walk over to him, but see he is with a girl. I stop, and frown. _Who is she? _I wonder, as I see them walking into a icecream shop. I growl, and follow after them. _And why is Paul with her? _

**HarvestMoonForever101: Hey guys! I'm gonna be uploading one chapter about every week or so. I say about, since it could be sooner than a week, or later.**

**ANYWAY, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and will continue to leave reviews. I am spreading out uploading because i have 13 chapters written, but have MAJOR writers block!**

**SEE YOU IN THE NEXT CHAPTER! :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

**I'm Not Jealous!**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Pokemon, or any of its characters. All credit for the show, and its characters go to Satoshi Tajiri.

I enter the small icecream shop, and quickly glance around. Paul, and the girl are sitting at a table in the middle of the room. I head to the counter, and the girl behind the counter smiles at me.

"Hi. I would like a strawberry icecream." I say, she scoops it, and hands it to me. I hand her the pokedollars, and go to a seat in the corner of the room. I sit and examine the girl. She has shoulder length blonde hair, she is wearing a red-violet tank, and a black skirt. She is giggling at Paul, and he is looking uncomfortable. _Is he on a date? _I wonder, and my blood boils at the idea. _Why do I care?! I'm not his girlfriend! I don't even like him! _I frown, and see her touch his arm. A sudden crack is heard, as I accidently crush my icecream in my fist. I go to the bathroom, and wash my hands. I then grab some papertowls, and try to get the pink icecream off my shirt. _Thats going to stain. _I sigh in defeat, and throw away the papertowels. I hear someone walk into the bathroom, and see its the girl Paul was with. She smiles at me, and I decide to fix my hair. "Hi, I couldn't help but notice you and that guy." I say, and she looks over at me. She applies too much lipstick, grinning at me.

"Who Pauly-bear?" She asks, and my right eye twitchs. _Pauly-bear? _I think, and fake a smile. She straightens her hair, even though it looks fine.

"A bit much lipstick to just be drawing attention don't you think?" I ask, and she smirks.

"Oh. By the end of this date, most of it will rub off anyway." She says, giving me a wink. Twitch. Twitch. I leave the bathroom, and storm out of the shop. _He can date whoever the hell he wants! I don't care! _I think, and I accidently run into someone.

"Sorry." I mutter, getting up, and brushing myself off.

"Its fine." A familiar voice says, and I glance up. "Dawn?" The tall tan man asks, and I grin. His hair was still short, brown, and spiky.

"Brock!" I gasp, and hug the man. He hugs me back, and smiles down at me. "Its been so long!" I exclaim, and he nods.

"Yeah, too long." He chuckles, and we walk to a park. _I'll tell him about what happened. _I decide as we sit on a bench in the park.

"Sounds like your jealous to me." Brock says, and I glare at the him.

"I'm NOT jealous!" I practically scream at him, and he sighs. He rest a hand on my shoulder, and gives me a sad smile.

"Dawn, I know what jealously is. I used to get jealous all the time." He tells me, and I frown. I've always seen Brock as a fatherly figure, but right now he was making me mad. "Do you get mad when you see her?" He asks, and I turn away from him. "Your jealous." He says, and I glare at him once more. _Why did I ask him anyway?! _I think, as I glare at the poke-doctor-in-training.

**Narrator's POV**

"OUT OF THE WAY!" The two hear someone scream, and then a loud crash echoes throughout the small park. Dawn and Brock glance at eachother, then the way the crash came from, sweat-dropping. They get up, and head to where the screaming, and crash occured. Barry is lying on the ground, looking daze. He was right in front of a tree, which means he probably ran into it.

"Barry, are you alright?" Dawn asks, walking over to the dazed blonde.

"Y-Yeah." Barry says, slowly standing up. Dawn examines him, feeling worried for the hyper boys well being. As Dawn is examining Barry, Brock is standing on the sidelines, smiling knowingly. Barry glances at Brock, and the poke-doctor smirks at him.

"I think you'll be alright." Dawn announces, backing away from the blonde boy. She then glances at Barry's face, and its bright red. She places her hand on his forehead, making the poor boy blush even brighter. She then places the same hand on her forehead, and shakes her head. "Your not running a fever." Dawn murmurs to herself, as she lets her hand drop to her side. "Why were you running!?" She suddenly yells at Barry, shocking both the boys. **(A.N: Forget Brock was there?) **Barry scratchs the back of chuckling nervously, as the blunette glares at him.

"I was heading to the gym." He says, looking at the girl slightly scared.

"Why would the gym be in a park, Barry?" Dawn asks, sighing in annoyance.

"I-I don't know." He admits, and Dawn slaps her forehead.

"Hate to break it to you, but there isn't a gym in this town." She explains, and Barry sighs in disappointment. "Well you better go to the next town." She says, and Barry nods. As Barry is walking away, feeling embarassed. "Oh, and Barry." Dawn calls out, making the blonde boy turn around. "Don't tell trees to watch out. They can't move." She teases, the boy blushes bright red, and walks away. Dawn turns to Brock, and he is smirking. "What? Why are you smirking?" She asks, honestly clueless to why he is smirking.

"Just you lovebirds." Brock says, and Dawn gives him a confused look.

"Lovebirds?" She asks, confused as to who he is talking about. "Who?" She asks.

"You and Barry." He says, and confusion is clear on her face.

"Me...and Barry?" She asks, and Brock nods. "We're just friends." She says, smiling at him. Brock's smirk vanishes, as he gives the girl a worried look.

"You don't know?" He asks, and she frowns.

"Know what? What are you talking about?" Dawn asks, and Brock smiles at her.

"Barry likes you." He says, and her eyes widen.

"W-What?" She asks, startled by his statement. "Since when?" She demands.

"I'm not sure...You really couldn't tell?" He asks, and she shakes his head. "Well, this is awkward." Brock mutters, as the girl is in deep thought. "How do you feel about him?" He asks, pulling Dawn from her thoughts.

"I-I don't know." She admits, feeling confused. "I don't know what to think of this." She mutters, not entirly sure what to do. "I need to go." Dawn says, then leaves without another word.

**Dawn's POV**

I lay on my bed, staring up at the ceiling. _Barry...likes me...? _I think, my mind not able to accept the new fact. _How long? _I wonder, sighing. _I-I don't think I feel the same...So how would I let him down easy? _I wonder, and shake my head. _What if I do like him? _I think over the question, feeling utterly confused by it. _Well hes cute, funny, and a great friend..._ I think, and realize what I labled him as. _Friend..._I think over the simply word, and frown. _No, I don't think I can think of him as more than a friend. _I sigh, _Poor Barry. _

I feel my eyes starting to droop, and decide to rest my eyes for a bit.

**DREAM!**

The door to the room opens, and I glance up. _Paul._ I think, and my confusion turns to anger. I get up, and storm over to the door. As I'm reaching for the door handle, a hand grabs my arm. I look up, startled and angry.

"Let go." I growl, but he holds on to me. I glare at him, and he glares at me. "Whats your problem!?" I yell, facing him fully now.

"You." He snaps, and my eyes widen. "Your my problem!" He hisses, and suddenly his lips collide with mine.

**END OF DREAM!**

**Narrator's POV**

Dawn sits up startled, and glances to her left. Paul is in bed, sleeping soundly. A dark blush covers her cheeks as the last part of her dream replays in her head. _I-I like Paul!? _she thinks, horrified by the very thought. _This can't be! I can't like that jerk! _she thinks, as she try to convince herself that the dream meant nothing. But deep down Dawn knew that the dream showed her true feelings for the rude trainer. Because you know what they say, dreams look into your subconcious desires.

**Hey guys sorry for the long wait, ive been REALLY busy with school. I appreciate the tips and the nice reviews. I have these chapters prewritten, but wont change anything drasticly until I'm done with school. Once school is done I will try and adjust the story, im aware its progressing fast, I am still a bit of an amateur at this. I only have about a week and a half left, so please be patient. **  
**Again thanks for the great reviews, and I PROMISE this wait won't be for nearly as long. :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

**Its Not A Crush!**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Pokemon, or any of its characters. All credit for the show, and its characters go to Satoshi Tajiri.

**Dawn's POV**

I wake up, and stretch my arms above my head. _I feel so tired. _I think, as I yawn. I glance over to Paul's bed, and he is putting his shirt on. I squeak in surpirse, and he turns around.

"How long have you been watching?" He asks, raising an eyebrow at me.

"I just woke up." I say, my face burning. "Not the first thing I wanted to see..." I say, and he smirks. He walks over to me, and I feel uneasy.

"So it was on the list of things you wanted to see though?" He asks, and my blush darkens. I glare at him, and shove him away from me.

"NO! I did not ever want to see that!" I exclaim, getting out of bed. "Now if you don't mind, could you get out!" I demand, and he crosses his arms.

"Why?" He asks, and I blush brighter. I look away from him, feeling embarassed.

"I need to get changed." I tell him, and hear him chuckle.

"You've seen me change several times. Now its my turn." He says, and I glare at him.

"GET OUT!" I yell, and shove him out of the room. I lock the door, and grab some clothes out of my bag. I change into a pink sundress, and white flipflops. I pull my hair back, and brush my teeth. I then unlock the door, and leave the room. Paul is waiting for me, looking annoyed. "What?" I ask, and he glares at me.

"There isn't a gym in this town." He explained, and I nod.

"Yeah, I know." I say, and his glare darkens.

"You knew, and didn't bother to tell me!?" He hissed, and I shrug.

"You weren't talking to me, when we got here." I tell him, and he goes into our room.

"Hurry up, and pack. We're leaving." He says, and I follow him into the room. I pack up my bag, and wait for him by the door. He walks over to me, glares, and walks out the door. I follow him, as we leave the city.

He is grumbling something about me wasteing our time, and how I'm so troublesome. I sigh, feeling bored, as we walk down the route. I start to hum, which gets a glare from Paul.

"Knock it off." He demands, and I groan in annoyance.

"Well, I'm bored. What do you expect me to do?" I ask, and he scowls at me.

"Walk, and stay quiet." He says, and I glare at him.

"I'm bored!" I whine, and he plugs his ears.

"Quit whining!" He snapped, and I frown. I kick a pebble, _Jerk. _I think as my boredom grows. I glance at him, _I like his hair. _I think, as I admire it. I then scold myself for admiring a jerk. He glances over at me, and I feel my face heat up in a blush. I look away, trying to act as if I was just looking around. I glance over at him again, and he is still looking at me. This makes my face grow even hotter. _My cheeks feel like their burning! _I think, not daring to look at him again. _I don't like him! Its just the sun! Yeah, the sun is making me hot. _I think, smiling a little. As we walk further, and further my feet become sore. _How can I get him to let us take a break? _I wonder, and glance at Paul.

"Paul?" I say, and he glances over at me. He frowns, seeing my puppy-dog eyes.

"What is it Troublesome? He asks, already sounding annoyed.

"Can we please take a break?" I ask, batting my eyes.

"No." He says, rather bluntly. I pout, and look ahead of us. _My feet are going to start to bleed if this keeps up! _I think, wondering what I could do to not have to walk for a while. I notice Paul has walked further ahead, as I glance at him. I smirk, as I approach the trainer. _He won't let me take a break, so I'll have to resort to drastic measures! _I think, and pounce on Paul's back. I must have shocked him, because he lost his balance, and fell flat on his face. I get up, and resist the urge to laugh. He pushs himself to his feet, and glares at me. "What the hell!?" He yells, obviously not liking the _'drastic measures'. _I found it quite funny though, as he yelled at me, with dirt on his face. "What were you thinking?!" He demands, I smile innocently at him.

"My feet were sore." I say, as he glares at me. "It was for the greater good." I say, and he snorts. He shakes his head, then glares at me once more.

"The greater good of what?" He demands, and I point down.

"My feet." I annouce, and he groans in annoyance. "Since we're stopped anyway..." I start, and he looks at me. "Can we take a break?" I ask, and he sighs in defeat.

I lay on the grass, and look up at the stars. _They're so pretty. _I think, looking at the dark sky decorated with bright sparkling stars. _So many. _I sigh, feeling at ease. The beautiful view gets blocked by a scowling face.

"What are you doing Troubelsome?" Paul demands, frowning at me.

"Looking at the stars." I say, and smile at him. "You should join me, maybe it will make you less grouchy." I suggest, he frowns, but sits down next to me. "Thats the Orian's Belt." I say, pointing at the constellation.

"No. Thats the Big Dipper." Paul corrects, and I blush.

"Okay, I'm not good with constellations." I admit, glancing at Paul. He lays down next to me, and I begin to feel awkward. "Do you know any constellation?" I ask, and he shakes his head. "Well, they sure are pretty." I say, and continue to admire the stars. I begin to find it harder to keep my eyes open, and am consumed by darkness.

I wake up, feeling warmer than usual. I blink, and see a shirt. _A shirt? _I wonder, and become aware of the snoring next to me. I look up, and see Paul's sleeping face. I silently gasp, and roll away. _At least he wasn't holding onto my waist. _I think, feeling relieved. I look down at the sleeping boy, and feel my face heat up. _How long was I cuddling up to him like that? _I wonder, and shake my head. _Can't think of that now. _I decide, and walk over to Paul.

"Paul. You need to get up!" I say, but he doesn't budge. I lean closer, inches from the boy's face. "Paul. Get up!" I say, his eyes flutter open, then widen. I jump back, and he sits up slowly. My face is bright red, and I pray he doesn't think I was trying to kiss him.

"Trying to steal a kiss?" He asks, and I shake my head quickly.

"NO! I tried to get you up, but you didn't respond. So I got a little closer, so you could hear me better! Thats all! I wasn't trying to kiss you!" I explain frantically, and Paul sits there looking amused. I'm out of breath after my quick explaination.

"Oh. I understand now." He says nodding his head, and I sigh in relief. "You were trying to molest me." He says, and my cheeks darken.

**I am so SO sorry for the wait! I have been unexpectedly busy since summer break started last week. I haven't had a chance to go through my story and slow down the story line at all yet. But I promise I will asap. I do read all the reviews you guys leave for me, and hope you enjoy this chapter! Thanks so much for reading! :)**

**P.S. I WILL update in a week or so. In the mean time I will try and make time to check through my story and see if i can make some tweeks.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

**Its Not A Date**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Pokemon, or any of its characters. All credit for the show, and its characters go to Satoshi Tajiri.

I collapse on the bed, once we get are rooms at the pokemon center. We arrived at Dewford, around ten at night. Paul enters the room, and I ignore him. I cover myself up, and sigh completly content. I hear shuffling beside me, and glance over. Paul is laying in his bed, a smirk on his lips.

"What?" I ask, and he looks at me.

"Don't try to molest me tonight. Alright, Troublesome?" He asks, and I feel my face heat up, upon remembering the conversation we had earlier today. I glare, then turn my back to him. _Stupid Jerk. _I think, then fall asleep.

I wake up, and see Paul is gone. I get up, take a quick shower, and get dressed. I put on a black tank, and a pink skirt. Then I slip on my pink boots, and pull my hair back into a ponytail. **(A.N: So it looks alot like her outift in the Tv Series) ** I leave the room, and go to Nurse Joy. She grins at me, as I approach.

"Hello. Are you looking for your boyfriend?" She asks, and my face heats up.

"Um...We're not-" I start, but realize I am curious as to where my traveling partner is. "Yeah, can you tell me where he went?" I ask, blushing.

"He had me heal his pokemon, and said something about challenging the gym." She said, and I nod in understanding. "Oh! Wait there he is!" Nurse Joy exclaims, pointing behind me. Paul enters the Center, looking rather annoyed.

"Whats wrong?" I ask, as he walks over t us.

"Hes out of town for business." Paul grumbles, and I almost feel bad for him. Almost.

"You can go shopping with me!" I suggest, earning my a glare from Paul. "Come on! Its better than sitting here bored!" I say, and he sighs.  
"Fine. But I'm not buying anything." He agrees, not sounding happy about it.

"Lets go!" I say, dragging the boy out of the center. We walk around, then I see a icecream parlor. "Hey lets go get some!" I say excitedly, then remember that he went with another girl to the icecream parlor. "Um...On second thought, lets go there!" I exclaim, pointing at a mall. As we're walking through the mall, I see a married couple look at us, and the wife giggles.

"Thats so cute! I remember our first date!" She cooed, and my cheeks turned red.

"Ugh. Lady we're not dating!" Paul exclaimed loudly, shocking the woman for a second. As we walk away, I elbow Paul in the side. "What?!" He snaps, as I glare at him.

"That was mean!" I scold, and he gives his signature scowl. As we're glaring at eachother, I see something sparkle from behind him. I stop, and walk over to it. It was a silver necklace, with a shiny pokeball on the end of it. I concider buying it, then see the price. I sigh, and walk back over to Paul. He gives me a questioning look, as we continue wandering around.

"It was way too much." I tell him, as I glance at the other stores. "Oh! Lets go to that one!" I exclaim, and Paul frowns at me. "What?" I ask, as I walk towards the store.

"I'm not going in there." He states, and I sigh. "Its a girl store, I'll wait here." He says, I nod, and enter the store. It has so much cute clothes! I walk around, and see a light purple dress with dark amythest-colored swirls on it. It is strapless, and ends right above the knee. I grin, and grab it. I try it on, and it fits perfectly. _Its like it was made for me. _I think, as I buy the dress. I walk out of the store, and see Paul sitting on a bench, looking bored.

"Sorry if I took to long." I say, and he gets up. He has a bag in his hands, and I glance at it curiously. "Did a little shopping while I was gone?" I ask, and he nods. "Where do you wanna go?" I ask, and he shrugs. "Lets go to the park!" I decide, and we leave the mall. We arrive at a little park, filled with pokemon and little children playing. We walk around, and I find myself inching closer to him with every step. This continues until every time I take a step, our hands brush against eachother. I imagine my cheeks are red, since they feel pretty warm. _Should I? _I wonder, then mentally scold my behavior. _I shouldn't feel this way towards him! _I realize, as I concider grabbing his hand. Just as I'm about to reach for his hand...

"DAWN! WATCH OUT!" A boy screams, but its to late. My face is on the ground, and surprisingly heavy Barry is on top of me. I try to get up, but can't due to Barry still being on me. I suddenly feel his weight off of me, and I get up slowly. _Great now I have a headache. _I think, and sigh. _He ruined the moment...I guess its for the best. _I decide, as I turn to the boys. "I'm so sorry Dawn! But I can't stop to chat! I have to go! Bye!" Barry yells, then is running once again. Paul is smirking at me, as I turn to him.

"What?" I ask, and he points to his forehead.

"You have mud on your face." he says, and I reach up.

"Where?" I ask, and he sighs in annoyance. He walks closer to me, and reaches towards me face. I feel my face heat up, and my heart speed up. His thumb brushes my forehead, and comes off clean. "I thought you said there was mud on my face." I say, and he looks down at me.

"There is. It just won't come off!" He growls, and I sigh in disappointment.  
"Its fine, I'll wash my face at the center. Lets go." I say, backing away from the boy. He grabs my arm, and stops my in my tracks.

"Whats your problem?" He demands, glaring at me. "Your usually all happy, and annoying." He says, and I force a smile.

"Nothings wrong." I lie, and he narrows his eyes at me.

"Don't lie to me." He growls, pulling me closer. I yank my arm out of his grasp, and turn away from him.

"I said nothings wrong. Lets go back to the center." I say, and walk away.

I enter the center, then go down the hall to our room. I enter it, and sigh. _I shouldn't feel this way! I should be upset that he was near me, not upset that he wasn't closer! I should be happy the day with him is over, not want it to last longer! Whats wrong with me!? _I wonder, sliding to the floor.

**(The following things are replaying in Dawn's mind)**

"You have a perfectly nice guy right in front of you. Open your eyes." She demands, and I frown. I pull her arm off of me, and look at her.

"Who are you talking about?" I ask, and she smiles sweetly.

"You know who I'm talking about, Dawn." She says, and I shake my head.

"No. I really don't." I assure her, and her smile turns into a smirk.

"I'm talking about Paul." She tells me, and I suddenly feel ill.

_He is smiling! _I blush slightly, while looking at his peaceful face. _Maybe he isn't that bad after all. _I think, as I walk over to my bed.

"Troublesome! Your acting like a bitch!" Paul snaps at me, glaring at me. "Your a weak, stupid little-" I slap Paul across the face, silencing him. He stares at me wide-eyed, holding his cheek. I glare at him, not caring about the pain I just caused him.

"I hate you! You unfeeling asshole!" I yell, and run to the pokemon center.

"Thanks for saving me." I said, and his scowl turns into a glare.

"Listen here, Troublesome." He growls, glaring down at me. "I didn't save you. I saved myself. Got it? I couldn't care less what happens to you." He says, and I frown, but nod. He spins on his heels, and starts walking down the route once more. I follow behind him, slowly, and confused. _If he doesn't care what happens to me, why is he making me travel with him?_

"Oh. By the end of this date, most of it will rub off anyway." She says, giving me a wink. Twitch. Twitch. I leave the bathroom, and storm out of the shop. _He can date whoever the hell he wants! I don't care! _

"Sounds like your jealous to me." Brock says, and I glare at the him.

_I-I like Paul!? This can't be! I can't like that jerk! _

I look up, and see Paul's sleeping face. I silently gasp, and roll away. _At least he wasn't holding onto my waist. _I think, feeling relieved. I look down at the sleeping boy, and feel my face heat up. _How long was I cuddling up to him like that?_

**(BACK TO PRESENT!)**

I feel warm tears streaming down my cheeks, as I finally accept my feelings for what they are. _I like Paul. _I think, and wipe away my tears. _I can't believe I like that jerk! _I think, when the door opens. _Speak of the devil! _I tense, and stand up, with my back to him. _I can't let him see that I was crying! _I realize, and feel his gaze on the back of my head. I'm about to go into the bathroom, when my arm is grabbed. Before I have time to react, I'm spun arround.

His eyes widen slightly when he sees I've been crying, but he stays silent. I look away from him, irritated by his silence.

"What aren't you gonna call me weak?" I growl, and feel more tears form in my eyes. You may be wondering why I'm crying, its because I know he couldn't possibly ever feel the same. "Say something!" I snap, turning to glare at the boy.

"Why are you crying?" He demands, his grip on my arm tightening. I wince, and try to pull away. "Tell me why your crying!" He practically yells, and I look up at him.

"Why do you care?" I hiss, looking away from him once more.

"I don't." He says, finally letting me go. I feel my tears spill over, and a lump form in my throat. He isn't looking at me, so he doesn't see the tears. I lay down in my bed, and force myself to fall asleep.

Its early in the morning, but I get up anyway. Paul is still sleeping, and I decide to do whats best for both of us.

**Narrator's POV**

Paul wakes up that morning, and glances over at Dawn's bed.

"Troublesome?" He asks, upon seeing her bed empty. He gets up, and checks the bathroom. Then he looks back at her bed, its neatly made, and her bag is gone. He then realizes that she must have left earlier that morning.

Dawn was walking down the route, far enough away for Paul to not be able to hurry to stop her, not that he would. She had decided earlier in the morning, that it was best for her to leave. _He made it perfectly clear that I was only causing him trouble anyway. I bet he is really happy right now. _She thinks, as she glances at the pokeball in her hand. She threw it in the air, releasing the little penguin pokemon from within. Piplup looks up at her curiously, as they continue to walk.

"Its just us from now on, Piplup." Dawn says, forcing herself not to cry. _I'm not crying over him anymore. Its not like he cared anyway. _

Little did Dawn know that she was completly wrong, because as she was traveling farther away from the town. Paul was sitting on his bed, looking at hers in shock. He couldn't comprehend why he was upset about her leaving. He knew he should have been happy, but he wasn't. _She'll die on her own. _Paul thought, his anger rising. Then he packed his things, and rushed out the door. _Stupid Troublesome girl! _He thought as he hurried out of the center. _This is because I don't want her death being my fault, not that I care about her. _He thinks, as he rushes down the route.

**Thanks for reading the chapter! I hoped you liked it! Sorry for the wait, have been having some issues with my computer, and couldn't get it to upload anything! Its all fixed now though! ^_^**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

**I'll Protect You**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Pokemon, or any of its characters. All credit for the show, and its characters go to Satoshi Tajiri.

**Dawn's POV**

I look at the sky, it was getting dark. _I have to keep going, I don't have a tent. _I think, ignoring my throbbing feet. I see a cave, and sigh in relief. I return Piplup, and enter the cave. _Its a bit small, but its better than nothing. _I decide to stay the night in the cave, setting my bag down. I open my bag, and am shocked to see Paul's jacket. Tears start to form in my eyes, but I blink them away. I shiver, and chuckle a little. _Not traveling with you anymore, but you still end up helping me. _I think, as I slip on the jacket. I sit on the cold ground, and lean against the cave wall. I yawn, then fall asleep.

"ROAR!" I snapped awake, startled by the loud roar of a pokemon. I stand up, and glance around quickly. I grab Mamoswine's Pokeball, and look towards the entrance of the cave. There was two big Ursaring, who looked furious. One was big and dark brown, and the other was a bit smaller than the first, but a lighter shade of brown. "ROAR!" The first Ursaring snarled, and came after me using Tackle.

"Mamoswine, Take Down!" I scream, throwing the pokeball into the air.

"MAMO!" Mamoswine yells, as it rams into the Ursaring. They seem equally matched at first, then the second Ursaring comes in. It uses Focus Punch on Mamoswine, and I watch in horror as my pokemon is hit repeatedly.

"Mamoswine NO!" I scream, as Mamoswine is fighting against the Ursaring. "RETURN!" I yell, forcing the pokemon into the pokeball. The Ursaring turn to me, snarling.

**Narrator's POV**

Dawn's scream echos throughout the area, catching the attention of a irritated Plum-haired Boy. His eyes widen, upon hearing the scream. He runs towards where it came from, and he sees the two Ursaring stalking towards something in a cave. He grabs his pokeball, and throws it in the air.

**Dawn's POV**

"Ursaring use hammer arm!" A familiar voice yells, and the Ursaring stop and turn to the entrance of the cave. I see another Ursaring fighting the other two, then feel something grab my arm. I am about to scream, but a hand covers my mouth. "Shh! Don't draw their attention over her, Troublesome!" Paul whispers into my ear, and I nod. He uncovers my mouth, and pulls me out of the cave. I blush as I look down at our linked hands, but soon shake it off. _This isn't the time! We're in danger! _I scold myself as we move away from the pokemon fight.

"What about your Ursaring?" I ask, and he glances at me.

"He'll be fine. He will return to us when he wins." He replies, and we stop.

"How did you find me?" I ask, honestly curious.

"I heard you scream." He says, and I blink for a second.

"Why aren't you in Slateport?" I ask, knowing that we're far from the town by now. His cheeks turn slightly pink, and he looks away from me.

"I didn't want you to get yourself killed." He mutters, and I blush as well.

"But I thought you didn't-" I stop myself, shaking my head. _I don't want to fight with him again. _I sigh, then notice we're still holding hands. My face goes bright red, and I look at Paul. He looks at me, then glances down. He lets go quickly, and shoves his hand in his pocket.

We stand there in silence, until we hear a weak roar from behind us. We turn, and see Paul's Ursaring limping over, barely able to stand. I gasp, and rush to the hurt pokemon. I examine it, and turn to Paul. "We need to get him to the pokemon center!" I exclaim, grabbing Ursaring's Pokeball off of Paul's belt.

"What the he-" I glare at him, and return his pokemon. I throw the pokeball at him, and start walking to the route.

"Please Paul! We need to hurry, for Ursaring and Mamoswine!" I plead, and Paul rushes to my side. I grab his hand, not wanting to get to far ahead of him, and run.

We finally make it to a pokemon center, and our pokemon are rushed to the E.R. We sit next to the door. We sit in silence, until I decide to break it.

"Thank you." I say, and Paul glances at me. "For saving me, I mean." I clarify, and he nods. "Seems like your always protecting me. Whether its from wild Pokemon, or from freezing." I say, and gesture to the jacket I am wearing. I feel my face heat up, as he sits there and looks at me. "So...Thank you." I say again, and I can almost see a shadow of a smile on his face. The door to the E.R. opens, Nurse Joy, and Chansey stepping out. I rush to her, and she gives a sympathetic smile. "How are they?" I ask, and Paul walks over to us.

"Ursaring will be fine, but I'm afraid your Mamoswine was deeply wounded." She says, and I feel my chest tighten. "I'm not sure if it will make it through the night. It would be a good time to say your goodbyes." She says, and I feel my heart shatter. I collapse to my knees, in shock. "I'm very sorry." She says, and tears flow down my cheeks.

"H-He can't die!" I exclaim, glaring at the floor. "Its all my fault!" I sob, unable to control my emotions any longer. I stay there, crying, not just for my pokemon, but for my friend. I feel a hand on my shoulder, and look up. Paul was looking at me, his expression neutral. I stand up, and hug him tightly. I sob into his shirt, and feel his arm wrap around my shoulders. We stay there until I finally calm down. I pull away, and rush into the E.R. I see Mamoswine laying on the ground, looking like he was in terrible pain. I enter the room, and Mamoswine's eyes open. I see the pain in his eyes, as I look into them. I sit by him, and gently rest my hand on him. "I'm so sorry Mamoswine." I whisper, and his eyes soften. "I never should have made you fight them." I say, and wrap my arms around his neck. "You'll always be part of the team." I whisper, as I sob into the pokemon's matted fur. As I'm sobbing, darkness suddenly consumes me.

I wake up, laying on something soft. I realize its not a bed, because its moving.

"Mamoswine?" I ask, sitting up so I can see the pokemon's face. Its eyes flutter open, and I feel my eyes water. "Your alive!" I squeal, and hug the injured pokemon.

"Mamo?" He sighs, lifting his trunk to touch my cheek. It removes it, revealing a tear.

"Its okay. They're tears of joy." I tell him, soothing his worry. I hear the door to the little room open, and see its Paul. He is standing there awkwardly, hands stuffed in his pockets. "Paul! He's alive! Mamoswines alive!" I exclaim, standing up, and rushing to the boy. I hug him, caught up in the moment. I feel him stiffen, but don't care, because I'm happy. "I thought for sure he was a goner." I whisper into his shirt, and feel him loosen up a little. I pull away, and look up into his dark eyes. "Sorry for hugging you. I'm just so happy." I say, smiling. Paul looks at me, then Mamoswine, then away.

"Stay happy." He demands, and I look a him confused. "Its weird when you not. When your sad, its very unpleasant to be around you. So stay happy." Paul finishs, glancing at me.

"Okay, I will." I agree, and Paul leaves the room. I give Mamoswine one more hug, before leaving the room. Nurse Joy glances at me, a grin on her face. "He's alive." I tell her, and she nods knowingly. "I thought you said he might not make it through the night?" I ask her.

"Your bond with your pokemon is what kept it fighting to live." She says, grinning at me. I glance around, and notice Paul isn't in the room. "I think the young man you came with went to the gym." Nurse Joy says suddenly, assuming thats who I was looking for. "You should go cheer him on. I bet he'll appreciate it." She finishes, and I think about it for a moment. "I'll take care of your Mamoswine." She tells me, and I decide to go to the gym. I eventually find it, a sign in front of it reads, _Dewford Town Gym. _I enter, and see Paul is in the middle of his battle. I sit in the front row, and watch the battle. The gym leader, Brawly, has his Machop. The leader is young, not much older than me I'm sure. He has sky blue hair, and deep saphire eyes. He has a smirk on his face, as his Machop uses Karate Chop on Paul's Ursaring.

"Ursaring catch Machops arm, then use hammer arm!" Paul demands, and the pokemon nods. Just before Machop's arm can his Ursaring, Ursaring catchs it with its right paw, then uses his left arm to use hammer arm on the captured Machop.

"No Machop!" Brawly exclaims, as Machop is slammed into the ground with Ursaring's Hammer arm. Machop lays on the ground unconcious.

"Machop is unable to continue, the winner is Paul the challenger!" The judge annouces, and I cheer. Paul returns his Ursaring, then turns around surprised. I feel my face heat up, he looks at me as he receives his badge. He walks over to me, looking annoyed, but also curious.

"Why are you here, Troublesome?" Paul asks, as I stand up.

"Nurse Joy said you were here, so I..." I start, trying to explain myself.

"So, who is this?" Brawly asks, walking over to us, and standing beside Paul. Now that I can get a closer look at him, he is quite handsome. His hair falls perfectly, and his eyes seem as deep as the ocean. He grins at me, showing off his pearly-white teeth. I swear if I wasn't so head over heels for Paul, I might have squealed like a fangirl. But I was head over heels for Paul, so my attraction to the young leader could only go so far.

"I'm Dawn Berlitz, and your Brawly the gym leader." I say, shaking his hand.

"A pretty name, for a pretty girl." Brawly says, grinning at my flushed cheeks. "So what brings you to my gym?" He asks, holding my hand for a bit to long. I pull my hand away, and chuckle nervously. Paul stepped in front of Brawly, blocking me from him.

"She came to watch ME battle, right Dawn?" Paul asked, and I nodded quickly.

"Yeah, I came to cheer Paul on. I'm like his own personal cheerleader, you know?" I say, chuckling nervously. "Paul we should get going..." I say, and he nods sharply. He grabs my hand, and pulls me out of the gym. After the gym is no longer in sight, Paul releases me, and we slow to a walk. "So Paul, what do you wanna do?" I ask, and he glances at me from the cornor of his eye. "We could go for icecre..." I stop myself quickly, remembering his date with the girl. Suddenly I'm not in a very good mood anymore, and I cross my arms. Paul looks at me, raising an eyebrow.

"Whats your problem?" Paul asks, curious about my sudden change in mood.

"Nothing." I say, and will myself to think of anything but that girl. I end up thinking about the occurance at the gym. I replay everything that was said in my head, and gasp. I stop dead in my tracks, and look at Paul. "You said my name!" I exclaim, and Paul turns to me.

"Yeah? What of it, Troublesome?" Paul asks, and I smile.

"No, you said my REAL name! In the gym! You called me Dawn! You actually said it!" I squeal, and Paul scowls at me.

"You're this happy about me saying your stupid name?" Paul asks, and I nod. He shakes his head, spinning on his heels, and walking away from me.

"My name isn't stupid. I happen to like my name!" I say, following behind him. "Its better than your name, Paul! P-A-U-L." I say, pronouncing his name slowly. "Mine makes me think of the morning, when the sky is pretty. Yours makes me think of...you..." I say, realizing what I was saying. I feel my cheeks redden, and I shut up.

"So you think of me?" Paul asks, breaking the silence.

"No! I mean, I do! But not in the way that it would be creepy...or I...um..." I stammer, causing my blush to darken. "Do you think of me?" I ask, wanting to change the subject.

"Only when your annoying me." He says, and I frown.

"But you...always say I annoy you..." I say, eyes widening, and cheeks heating into a blush. He walks towards a diner, and I follow shortly. We sit in silence, until a waitress comes to take our order.

"Hello, and what can I get you two?" She asks, and I look at Paul.

Paul sighs, "A water.." He tells her, and I she turns to me.

"Um..same here." I tell her, and she nods grinning at us. I glance out the window, wondering how Mamoswine is doing.

"Its not gonna do you any good to worry." Paul states, and I glance at him.

"What makes you think-" His look cuts me off, and I sigh. "I can't help it. Mamoswine is one of my dear friends. Of course I'm worried." I tell Paul, and he gives me a look showing his annoyance.

"Its a pokemon." Paul says, and I frown at him.

"_HE, _is not just a pokemon Paul!" I growl, narrowing my eyes at the boy across from me. "Mamoswine is a dear friend, we've been together for years." I explain, and smile, remembering when we first met.

We sit in silence, and when we leave its dark. When we are half-way back to the pokemon center, it started to rain. I wasn't wet and wondered why, thats when I realized I still had Paul's jacket on. I blushed, and glanced over at Paul. He had on pants, but was wearing a sleevless shirt. _Isn't he cold? _I wonder, as I look at the boy. When we get back Paul is soaked from head to toe, but isn't shivering at all. We head to our room, and I go straight to bed.

I wake up to the sun shinning in my face, and yawn. I sit up, and glance around. Paul was still in bed, snoring slightly. _Wait..._I think, and walk over to the sleeping trainer. He is sleeping soundly, as I kneel in front of him. _Why isn't he up? _I wonder, and press my hand to his forehead, only to yank it away.

"Fever..." I whisper to myself, standing up. I frown, and think of how to get it to go down. I go to my bag, and take out Buneary's pokeball, throwing it into the air. I go to the bathroom, and turn on the tub, plubbing it up. I have Buneary use icebeam to freeze it, and dizzy punch to break off some smaller pieces. I grab a baggy from the closet, fill it with the crushed ice, and close up the baggy. I return Buneary, and go back to Paul. I place the icebag on his forehead, and he flinchs. His eyes flutter open, confusion in them.

"Dawn...?" He asks, and I nod.

"Just go back to sleep. You have a fever." I tell him, and he smiles at me. I feel my heart speed up, and my cheeks redden. He reaches out to me, stroking my face.

"You're so pretty." He murmurs, and my cheeks grow a darker shade of red.

"Paul, just go to sleep ok?" I say, standing up, and turning away. I start to walk away, but Paul's hand grips mine. I turn startled, and see he is barely awake. "Paul...?" I ask, kneeling down in front of him once more.

"Stay." Paul demands, causing my heart to pound in my chest. "Dawn, please stay. I like your company, so don't go..." Paul pleads, and falls asleep. Even though he is now asleep, his hand is still holding tightly onto mine. I sigh, as my heart continues to race. _Ok..._I sigh, and rest my head on Paul's bed. _I'll stay, since you asked so nicely. _I think, and I smile at Paul's sleeping face.

**Hey guys, you've all been doing good. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and will continue reading Opposites. :)**


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